“I keep receiving Code 47 saying that a device is prepared for safe removal. I have done all the steps I found off the web knowledge bases but I still cannot use the USB port. I restarted the computer, put the device in the port, etc… I even uninstalled and have the computer reinstall when restarted. I see drivers in the beginning then my USB drivers disappeared when I looked on the My Computer window. I can use the port for some devices, but I can’t use it for my iPod. I hard it work before but now it doesn’t recognize the device.” Posted by one of those users who got this problem.

The error message you keep getting should be “Windows cannot use this hardware device because it has been prepared for safe removal, but it has not been removed from the computer. (Code 47)”

You can read our guide to fix Error Code 47 and use these tips. It will help you troubleshoot this issue easily.

Possible Symptoms of Code 47

”Code 47” appears and crashes the active application window.

”Windows cannot use this hardware device because it has been prepared for safe removal, but it has not been removed from the computer.” is displayed when attaching a new hardware device to your computer.

Your PC frequently crashes with Code 47 when trying to use the same hardware device.

Keep tracking of when and where your Code 47 error occurs is a critical piece of information to fix Error Code 47.

What to Do to Fix Error Code 47?

This error occurs when the connected peripheral device, upon removal using the “Safe Removal Hardware” program, hang up a problem within the process. The error prompt that you see is referred to within the operating system as Error Code 47. Windows allows the you to use Safe Hardware Removal option to avoid errors with Plug-and-Play hardware when it is removed. Sometimes the process itself causes a trouble when it becomes hung and generates a Windows Error Code 47.

This issue is more of an annoyance than a trouble. There are some very simple steps that you can perform to fix Error Code 47.

Try to reconnect the device. The first thing you need to do is to reconnect the device that is in the process of a Safe Hardware removal. Simply plugging the device back into the PC and accessing it and then repeating the steps of a safe removal will fix this error most times.

If you have reconnected the device and Windows Error Code 47 comes back, you will need to try one additional step. The process appears to be locked up and one of the standard fixes for a locked process is a simple computer reboot.

The following are steps you need to go through:

1. Reconnect the device to your PC.
2. Click on the “Start” button in the lower-left hand side of your Desktop.
3. Select “Shutdown.”
4. Select “Restart.”
5. Let your PC run through the power cycling process.
6. After your PC is running again, go double-click on the “Safe Hardware Removal” icon in the system tray.
7. Select the device and double-click on it.
8. The Safe Removal message will tell you when it is safe to remove the device and fix Error Code 47.
9. The trouble should now be resolved.

The Safe Removal process is put into place to keep hardware damage or data loss from happening to plug-and-play devices. You should always use it when removing hardware, yet if the error appears, be sure to follow the steps laid out above.

How Do I Fix Error Code 47 More Efficiently?

This will spare you from going through all the above paths and other tedious regular process. So I guess it’s a better choice for general users. There are just a few steps:

1. Try out the recommended Windows repair tool (click the green button on the page for download).

2. Scan all your drivers to analyze the existing system issues including Error Code 47 by clicking the “Scan Now” button. (You can stop the scan anytime.)

3. After the Scan is completed, click the “Fix All” button to fix all the detected issues.

Now you can restart your PC and check if there is any issue left.

So if you don’t bother to perform the traditional repair actions, this is a better option for your to Fix Error Code 47 problem.

Code 47 is one of those belonging to the Hexadecimal data format and the most common error code layout utilized by Microsoft Windows as well as other Windows compatible software programs and driver manufacturers. Hopefully going through the steps given above would successfully fix Error Code 47 on your system.